Onikira: Demon Killer

About

Onikira: Demon Killer is a single player arcade hack and slash game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by Digital Furnace Games and was released on August 27, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics and negative reviews from players.

Onikira takes the deep fighting mechanics of some of the most amazing 3D beat ‘em ups, like Ninja Gaiden or Bayonetta, and merges them with classic 2D platformer mechanics in a way that has never been done before. For example, launch an enemy into the air, wall jump to position yourself above them, then Katana Slam them into the ground. Switch to the Naginata and use the Naginata Lift and air dash…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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38%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

graphics33 positive mentions

stability22 negative mentions

The game features a unique and appealing hand-drawn art style with beautiful backgrounds and animations that enhance the atmosphere.
Combat system is fluid, responsive, and enjoyable, with a variety of weapons and combos that add depth and fun to the gameplay.
The game provides challenging encounters and boss fights that reward skillful play and has a satisfying hack-and-slash action feel.

The game is plagued by numerous crashes and game-breaking bugs, including issues with saving progress and loading saved games, making it often unplayable.
Controls can be clunky or unresponsive, especially on keyboard and mouse; gamepad support is recommended but can still have issues.
The game lacks polish and optimization, with performance problems like frame rate drops, input lag, and glitchy elements, as well as incomplete or poorly designed level and checkpoint systems.

graphics
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The game's graphics receive mixed feedback, with many praising its unique, hand-painted art style and atmospheric, dark visuals that complement the gameplay well. However, technical issues such as graphical glitches, lack of advanced options, and occasional bugs detract from the overall experience. While not cutting-edge, the visuals are generally considered attractive and fitting for an indie 2D action platformer, especially given its early development stage.
- “The graphics are stunning.”
- “The beautiful hand painted art style, it's frenetic thumping soundtrack and most crucially, the superbly diverse combat encounters all add up to an amazing gaming experience.”
- “Now in the game's current state I give it a 7.5/10 as it is early access and there is a fair bit still missing but the bones of the game are there, mainly the combat is fun and difficult to discourage button mashing, the art style is beautiful with the hand painted details, all we need is for the game to have all its levels finished and have any bugs sorted and this game could easily be a 9/10.”
- “We're not gaming on potatoes, so why do we still get NES-level graphics?”
- “I encountered about 4 or 5 glitches—points where the graphics would warp, one point where the game went a tad doolally, and some things not working properly (like a cutscene getting stuck so I had to restart).”
- “The graphics options are bare bones with no advanced graphics options, which can be problematic for users with less powerful systems.”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
55%
11%
The gameplay offers a fast-paced, hack-and-slash experience inspired by titles like Devil May Cry and Shank, featuring varied combos, weapon switching, and smooth movement mechanics including grappling and wallrunning. While many praise its stylish combat, engaging enemy variety, and solid core mechanics, others find it repetitive, somewhat clunky, and marred by bugs and crashes. Overall, it presents promising, fun action with some rough edges and occasional technical issues.
- “The gameplay feels quite nice even though it's a bit repetitive and the soundtrack is actually really good.”
- “Mechanically indebted to Shank and the latest Devil May Cry, Onikira’s world is populated with imaginative, aggressive enemies - forcing you to plan your engagements quickly, shift your tactics to match your situation, and fight like hell in search of that SSS rating.”
- “The gameplay itself takes cues from only the greatest of action games with a grading system strongly resembling Devil May Cry's, insane almost endless aerial combos reminiscent of Bayonetta, and brightly colored red and blue orbs for replenishing your health or energy that fans of the Onimusha series will be familiar with.”
- “Clunky controls, auto hit mechanics, cliché story and boring combat system is what this game seems to be made of. Visuals are nice for the fact it's indie; however, I cannot recommend this game when there are much better combat-based indie games out there.”
- “Movement mechanics have no momentum which makes everything feel very sluggish.”
- “The "epic boss" which I'm guessing is the big dude with the huge eye kills the pacing of the first level and really shines a light on all the mechanical problems this game has.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
59%
16%
The story is generally viewed as cliché and basic, centered on a typical feudal Japan fantasy narrative with demons and magic, which some find unengaging or lacking depth. While the premise is considered intriguing by a few, many feel it needs more originality, polish, and better storytelling delivery. Nonetheless, its presentation, setting, and voice acting receive some praise, making it passable but not a standout aspect of the game.
- “I absolutely love this game: great gameplay, awesome music, a really unique art style, and a good enough story.”
- “At first, I thought it was a good game for leisure time, but after trying it, I found it to be more than just good; it contains a very good story, great music, and awesome gameplay with impressive graphics.”
- “The story isn't anything special, but it is presented nicely with its interesting setting, art direction, and good voice acting.”
- “The story of the game is that a man fuses his soul with a dragon giving him power and blah blah blah. I'm sorry but I can't get invested in a plot that is cliché as hell. Of course it fits the plot perfectly but it needs to be more well different; it needs something to stand out and grab the player.”
- “Clunky controls, auto hit mechanics, cliche story and boring combat system is what this game seems to be made of. Visuals are nice for the fact it's indie, however I cannot recommend this game when there are much better combat based indie games out there.”
- “One main issue for me that I can't get past is the on-screen text at the beginning of the game which is meant to explain the story after you start a new game; it changes to the next section of text way too fast and doesn't give you the option to skip to the next bit of text yourself due to it being a cut-scene rather than using in-game mechanics, but they give you the option to skip text with the A button in-game so it really doesn't make any sense as to why they chose a cutscene over in-game options.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting dark, heavy, and energetic tone that complements the intense combat and art style, often compared favorably to iconic soundtracks like Mortal Kombat's. While some players find the soundtrack repetitive or unmemorable, many appreciate its effectiveness in enhancing the game's atmosphere and tension. Technical issues such as occasional absence of music and lack of voice-overs were noted but do not detract significantly from the overall positive reception.
- “The beautiful hand-painted art style, its frenetic thumping soundtrack and most crucially, the superbly diverse combat encounters all add up to an amazing gaming experience.”
- “When I hear the evil and ominous melodies in Onikira with their eastern overtones, I am instantly reminded of some of the best music from Mortal Kombat, particularly of the 3 and 4 era, and this is a very good thing when it comes to the subject matter dealt with in such a game.”
- “SFX is crisp and effective, and the music mostly eschews evoking the period in favour of effectively ratcheting up tension and excitement - the correct choice for this genre.”
- “Clunky controls, floaty protagonist and monsters, awkward combat, weird hitboxes, boring music--in short, a mediocre game in most respects.”
- “The music repetitive and does not stand out to me while playing the game whatsoever.”
- “No music btw, I don't know why, and sound effects are lacking too; I don't feel like I'm slaughtering bunch of poor creatures.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from frequent glitches, crashes, and bugs, many of which impact core features like achievements and gameplay progression, leading to frustration among players. Despite some visual appeal and concept potential, the overall stability is poor, with developers seemingly abandoning the game before resolving major issues, resulting in a largely unfinished and unstable experience.
- “The developers abandoned the game in a buggy and broken state yet leave it on Steam for $20.”
- “It seems as though they still rushed the game towards the end as from day 1 of the game I’ve been reporting the same errors and bugs, which have progressed from minor glitches to major game-breaking crashes.”
- “Onikira looks like an awesome game by the video and pictures on the Steam sales page; however, for a game just out of early access, it has a few too many basic day one glitches that should have been sorted out before leaving early access.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
The game suffers from poor optimization, resulting in choppy framerate, stuttering, and performance issues even on modest PCs. This affects gameplay fluidity, controller support, and menu responsiveness, although some users still find the game enjoyable despite these drawbacks.
- “They can still do optimization and I think they should try some different keyboard bindings.”
- “Yet the game is un-optimized and runs with a choppy framerate; checkpoints are awfully designed, making the game even more frustrating than just the unresponsive menus and character.”
- “However, I have never played a game with such terrible optimization before this.”
- “I don't have a monster PC, but even running this at 1080p took its toll, with lots of stuttering, which I'd attribute to the atmospheric effects being a little overdone here and there.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its strong Japanese and anime-inspired vibe, creating a distinctive and immersive setting. However, some users note that the atmospheric effects can be overdone and cause performance issues like stuttering on mid-range PCs. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a highlight despite technical drawbacks.
- “Good atmosphere.”
- “More visual glory & atmosphere.”
- “Great game, real Japanese atmosphere, anime-like feeling (Afro Samurai style). Those were pluses.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect is marked by a mix of frustration from crashes, tempered with a heartfelt touch from the system's messages. Meanwhile, players find engagement and satisfaction in Arena mode's skill-based challenges.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is rated moderately high at 7.5, indicating that the game offers a decent level of engagement for multiple playthroughs, though it may not provide extensive variety or lasting incentives for all players.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is subtle and tied to gameplay quirks, such as the unexpectedly smooth practice moves on the starting screen, providing a lighthearted and amusing experience.

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Onikira: Demon Killer is a arcade hack and slash game with fantasy and historical themes.

Onikira: Demon Killer is available on PC and Windows.

Onikira: Demon Killer was released on August 27, 2015.

Onikira: Demon Killer was developed by Digital Furnace Games.

Onikira: Demon Killer has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Onikira: Demon Killer for its graphics but disliked it for its stability.

Onikira: Demon Killer is a single player game.

Similar games include Slain: Back from Hell, The Vagrant, MindSeize, Garshasp: The Monster Slayer, Einar and others.

Onikira: Demon Killer

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